Chat with Page 2's Gregg Easterbrook

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Welcome to The Show! On Tuesday, ESPN.com Page 2's Gregg Easterbrook will stop by to chat about the return of his Tuesday Morning Quarterback column for the 2008 NFL season.

TMQ makes its debut for yet another season, as Easterbrook gives his thoughts on the latest news from the NFL.

In addition to writing Tuesday Morning Quarterback for Page 2, Easterbrook is the author of "The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse" and other books. He is also a contributing editor for The New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly and The Washington Monthly.

Send your questions now and join Easterbrook in The Show at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday!

Easterbrook Archive: Chats | Columns

Matt (Minneapolis)


I'm glad that TMQ is back, but can we devote at least 10% of next week's column to football?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:01 PM)


You're asking a lot! Okay.

Anthony (Chicago, IL)


Gregg, any plans on a new book some time soon?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:02 PM)


Why, how thoughtful of you to ask! Just finishing my next nonfiction book -- no football, no megababes and no space aliens though.

Andrew (Alexandria, VA)


I tried to get this posted in a Reader Animadversion but you stopped posting those after your All-Unwanted, All-Pro awards. My question is why you gave Wes Welker the runner-up award for that, when you clearly stated that "players who were traded don't qualify because their original teams received something in return. So Randy Moss does not qualify because even though the Patriots were the sole NFL team that would touch him last winter, the Raiders did get a draft choice in the deal." But then you award Welker the runner up award and go on to say "When Belichick came knocking, offering a second-round draft choice for Welker, canny, crafty, cagey coach Cameron took the deal." Clearly this contradicts your qualifications on being nominated... what gives?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:03 PM)


Welker went undrafted then was released by San Diego -- that's how he qualified.

andy in nashville tn


what are the real chances of the Raiders making the playoffs?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:04 PM)


12 in 32, no one knows what's going to happen. However, I would not bet my subprime mortgage on Oakland.

Mike (Boston)


With the Rams walkthrough scandal put to rest, do you still think Spygate runs deeper than what's been reported? Clearly you think the punishment was not severe enough and BB should be imprisoned, but are you able to move on yet?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:05 PM)


Yes, time to move on. Though I still believe Belichick should have been suspended. As an alternative, he could be forced to appear on "Dancing with the Stars," which for him would be agonizing.

Nick (NJ)


Warning: Farve-related question. No media has really addressed this aspect, and I thought mabye you were going to, how is Farve going to react when he loses a game for the Jets (because we will know he'll throw an INT to do just that) and the fans "boo" him off the field? More importantly what about a week of NY talk radio saying to get rid of Farve and play Clemmens/get Pennington back? This isn't GB for he is the sacred idol and untouchable superstar.

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:06 PM)


He may indeed be booed. It's hard to say how he will react -- though we will hear about his reaction in copious detail.

Grodley (NY)


How about American football in the next Olympics!

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:07 PM)


It's not the Olympics, it's the Olympiad to NBC -- which the network thinks sounds classier, but historically means "a period of four years" in ancient Greek thinking.

chris (philly)


As a Giants fan in enemy territory - I even married an eagle fan - I need to know if it's possible that Andy Reid and Joe Banner will continue to deny the OBVIOUS and neglect poor Donovan McNabb's WR corp? I would love to see them throw Curtis/Brown/rookie out there every week. And I also love to see them break their 'gold standard' rules and renegotiate with an under-contract Brian Westbrook . . . do you think TO & Drew were wondering if they were just a few years too late? I mean what happened to no renegotiating contracts? Is this an admission that they bungled the TO situation. oh, and will Plaxico play?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:09 PM)


The Eagles do need WRs, but TMQ likes their draft strategy. Check the most recent three years -- the top of the Philly draft has been almost all linemen. 90% of the game occurs away from the ball.

Justin (Milwaukee)


Large Hadron Accelerator slated to start running September 10th. Should I be nervous? How do the Pack do this year with Aaron at the helm?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:09 PM)


I'm nervous! TMQ item on the LHC coming.

Nick (NJ)


During college, GO RUTGERS!, I never really took to your columns: Too long, too non-football related. But since I graduated and started working during the day, they have really grown on me the last couple of years. Anyway you can write even longer columns this season?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:10 PM)


I will take that as a challenge.

Ken (Pleasantville, NY)


With the New York Giants displaying you can win in the playoffs by being sound overall and having an excellent pass rush, do you expect that an even greater amount of coaching effort will be focused on pressuring the quarterback? Could this translate into more defensive coordinators calling desperate blitzes?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:11 PM)


The Giants didn't blitz much last season, and hardly at all in the Super Bowl. On passing downs, they fielded 4 defensive-end-type linemen. that's a tactic that may be emulated.

Rosenblatt (Salem, MA)


Will TMQ's team cognomens be making a comeback this year?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:13 PM)


I used them less last year because the jokes were wearing off. expect a haiku comeback in 2008, however.

Joe from Jersey


Did you see the PSL fees that the Giants and Jets are now asking for their new Stadium, from $10K to $1K per seat. I heard Dallas had some costing $100K per premium seats. Sometimes capitalism stinks.

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:14 PM)


TMQ will have an item on tax subsidies for those stadia.

Mitch


I know China owns a larger percentage of the U.S. than any other country, but isn't NBC's butt kissing regarding all things China a little over the top?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:15 PM)


China is the #1 global story of the new century -- more people lifted out of poverty in China in the last generation than across the entire world in the generation before. But, yes, NBC does seem to be going native.

Dutchee from cleveland


did you see that Page 2 article on the A-11? what do you think of that?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:16 PM)


I bet my high schools are right now scrambling to be ready to defense the A11. But it feels to me like a fad -- defenses will adjust, and A11 teams will realize that one offensive lineman is not enough.

Paul (Portland, OR)


Sorry...non-football question. Since you mentioned Wall-E in your column, did you see the movie? Was that a disturbing picture of a deserted/garbage-filled earth in the future, or what?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:17 PM)


I thought the movie was good, but then I'm a sucker for cute robots. It did show that a G-rated film can be clever and make money.

Mike (Ohio)


If Brett Favre holds a retirement press conference in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does ESPN still report it?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:19 PM)


Metaphysically, if ESPN wasn't there, how would we know it happened?

Eric (Chicago, IL)


Miller isn't owned by Molson. Miller is owned by South African Breweries, which changed its name to SABMiller after the acquisition.

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:22 PM)


My error. Molson owns Coors, and MIllerCoors is a joint venture of Molson, Coors and SABMiller.

Stuart (Toronto, ON)


A football prediction question (yea, verily): What will be the record for the winner of the AFC North and will it be the Steelers or Browns?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:23 PM)


The Steelers were really good last year, I expect them to do well again in 2008.

Paul (Indy)


How do celebrities posing naked get the Chinese fur industry to become more humane? And while we're on the subject, isn't this practice portraying women as sex objects?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:25 PM)


On the first point I don't know, on the second point it is fine for Amanda Beard to be a sex object if that is her wish. Most women I suspect would not make that wish

Anthony (Chicago, IL)


Do you think all this positive press/the whole Olympic experience for China will result in more openness and personanal freedoms or will it embolden the government to be more restrictive in a seemingly consequence-free environment?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:26 PM)


Don't know. Pre-Olympics, the trend was for China to liberalize, so my guess is that it will continue to liberalize.

Andrew (villanova, pa)


What are your feelings on the 49ers qb controversey? Do you feel it is appropriate to favor Alex Smith since he was a number 1 pick and to not do so would make niners management look even worse than it already does?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:26 PM)


I bet if Smith had gone in the second round, he'd be playing better. Many have cracked under the strain of being a highly drafted QB.

Jesse (Nebraska)


Battlestar Galactica wasn't content to just nuke the fridge this season, so they nuked all of Earth! Was that a a total cop-out, or are the writers being too clever for their own good?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:28 PM)


BSG has gone overboard on "darkening." At this point I think we all get that the new version is not silly like the 1970s show.

Daniel (New York)


Mr. Easterbrook - Who has a larger carbon footprint, Brett Favre or Bill Belichick?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:28 PM)


Got to be Favre, he flies private jets so much.

Christian (High Point, NC)


Regarding BSG: they deliberately didn't show the continents when landing on the planet. Various theories abound that Starbuck led them to the wrong planet (which coincides with what the hybrid said about not following her).

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:29 PM)


Also many past events on BSG have turned out to be dreams, the #1 sci fi writer's cop-out.

jarod (CA)


Beyond sporting news, what are your top three daily media sources?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:30 PM)


NY TImes, Washington Post, WS Journal.

Paul (Portland, OR)


I heard a little bit of chat on the pre-season ESPN game last night about Marvin Lewis' ability to remain employed while other coaches who have been more successful than him have been fired. What do you suppose keeps him in a job?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:30 PM)


He never criticizes the Brown family.

Alex (New York)


Who has a better command of the English language, you or your brother. I've read workproduct for both of you and find it too close to call. (although you do get bonus points for subject matter)

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:31 PM)


My brother. But the federal court system STILL refuses to allow him to put cheerleader photos in judicial opinions.

Joe (Boston)


Isn't reading the NY Times and WS Journal mutally exclusive??

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:31 PM)


Their editorial pages do cancel each other out, like matter and antimatter.

Evan (Boston, MA)


I agree that there is an oversaturation of violence in our media, but it seems like you feel that all violence is simply a glorification of it. Torture porn movies like 'Saw' are not my thing at all, but a show like 'The Sopranos', while violent, was much more layered and thought provoking. If it's rated 'R' or 'MA', we should be able to handle it, right?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:33 PM)


The big concern is glorifying violence to children and teens. Studies show that after about age 19, the personality is fixed and not influenced much by images.

Scott (Chicago)


Have you been following Detroit's mayor Kwame Kilpatrick? Should Matt Millen take over?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:33 PM)


Darn, I was going to use that line in TMQ.

Dane Boston, MA


Hey Gregg, you were more than shy when interviewed on WEEI. What gives? Where were the strong convictions and hatred for the Patriots? It seemed as if you were hiding behind your strong words and almost implying that your remarks were misconceived by the general public...

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:35 PM)


I don't hate the Patriots, or anybody in sports. I strongly oppose bad sportsmanship, which they showed a lot last year. and when they were caught cheating, they should have been honest instead of stonewalling. The Patriots themselves are terrific and embody lots of admirable things -- teamwork, good tactics.

Sean (Louisville)


One note: according to the special-effects guys, the destroyed city shown at the end of BSG's season was Vancouver (where the show is filmed). They deliberately used Vancouver's skyline as a basis for the destruction as a nod to their community, and because places like New York are too cliched.

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:36 PM)


They FLATTERED Vancouver by showing it destroyed? Next is last question, I need to head out to coach my middle school team.

Kyle (Tempe)


How's your team going to do?

Gregg Easterbrook
  (3:38 PM)


Right now the goal is to get all the 13 year olds going in the same direction at the same time. I've got a three-year run of championships to defend, though. Thanks everybody.

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